My work in the library at Aanischaaukamikw

by: Annie Bosum

Annie will be retiring from her library position in the coming few years so we asked her to write a few words about her career so far.

Me (right) and my colleague Laura (left) in front of the beautiful Aanischaaukamikw building in June 2018.

My position as Library Technician at the Aanischaaukamikw library has been a rewarding experience.  In addition to the cataloguing, circulation, book weeding, and all the other responsibilities that come with maintaining the library, my work includes writing blogs, articles for our regular Air Creebec inflight magazine feature, contributions to journals and reports about the library.

One of the articles I wrote for the Air Creebec inflight magazine.

Our collection relates to the history, culture, language of Eeyou Istchee, and has expanded rapidly since our grand opening in November 2011. Some of the retired anthropologists who lived and worked within the Eeyou Istchee territories donated their research material publications to the ACCI library.  Today, we continue to receive donations from retired or deceased anthropologists and priests. We also purchase materials and have a unique Rare Books Collection. As of April 2020, we have over 4300 items in our entire library collection which includes a circulation collection, a rare books collection, periodicals, audio and visual materials and digital items. In addition to this we have a reference collection that is not catalogued yet. 

Some of the books in the library. 

Ashley Dunne, a former library assistant, and I co-wrote an article about the Brian Deer Classification Scheme which was published in the periodical Collections Management in 2017.  The Brian Deer Classification Scheme is the classification system I use to classify the library material collection. I’ve been invited to speak about using this system at conferences across Canada. I wrote another blog about attending the 2019 Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre conference ē-micimināyakik. 

An example from our BDC system - our current version is available on a blog I posted in Spring 2017.

Giving a talk at a conference in Saskatoon in May 2019 - see my blog post for more information.

Giving a talk at Concordia in 2018 for the Quebec Library Association.

 I participated in our talking circle at the 2018 Canadian Museums Association conference in Vancouver.

It is hard to choose between writing and cataloguing in my work (my love of poetry writing is something that is very special to me) but for the sake of work I have to say that cataloguing new books that arrive at the library is like Christmas to me!  I love immersing myself with a great book and looking at the old photographs especially when it is about the people of Eeyou Istchee.

Our book shelves are getting full! 

To some people (more particularly for people who don’t have cataloguing training) the task of cataloguing may look repetitive and boring, but for me, I find it fascinating. What I enjoy the most is when I have to research to find accurate cataloguing information, especially for the old publications published before the 1970’s.  Cataloguing older books is most challenging when the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is missing.  The ISBN is the easiest and quickest way for the librarian to find a book in order to accurately classify and catalogue the item and this number means I can do copy cataloguing of the record which makes me efficient at my job.

My main achievement in 2019 was completing our first full inventory. I began the inventory of the circulation collection (approximately 2000 books) and periodicals in September 2019 and completed it in March 2020.  I worked on the inventory whenever I was not occupied by other tasks.  For instance, visitors who came to the library are important clients and had to be given first priority because I am usually the only staff member present who is knowledgeable about our library collections.  

Working on the inventory.

Working on the inventory was very exhausting physically and emotionally. I say ‘emotionally’ because when I did not find a book I worried that it was missing, ha ha! Sometimes it turned up on a different shelf. For the next time, I will use a laptop so I can have it with me amongst the shelves to check and update records immediately. I felt a lot of time was wasted by going back and forth to the shelves to fetch the books and my desk to check on our library database, M2L, and looking at my printed inventory list. Kyle from MINISIS, the database company who provide M2L, and my colleague Laura helped me make the inventory report. I used my book carts a lot to take books back and forth to double check their catalogue records.

Using my book carts for the inventory.

In action - checking the inventory.

I remember the day I completed the inventory. I was so happy and it was so rewarding to finally complete such a huge task on my own. We do the full Inventory every 2 years so I will probably do it one more time before I retire.   

Whenever we can go back to work after the pandemic I’ll start cataloguing the Reference section. For now, I am working from home on and enjoying time with my family.

Building on My Skill Sets: Life as an Intern September 2019-February 2020

My Young Canada Works internship with Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute (ACCI) as the Collection Assistant was filled with many different kinds of scholarship and opportunities to learn a variety of new things on the job. It has been an amazing opportunity getting to work with different staff members and learn from them; not only about the jobs they do but about the wonderful community of Ouje Bougoumou.

Being a member of the Collections team meant we had to design and build a display stand for My Grandmother’s Garden, a large framed artwork on loan to the museum from Flora Weistche of Waskaganish. This project was one of these skills building moments. The project was a labour of love and a group effort between the Conservator, the Registrar, the Programs Director and the Facilities Director. Each person had different idea and concerns and we all came together to create a sensible, sturdy and safe stand to support the artwork. This was an excellent demonstration to me of the types of teamwork that are required in museums.  Personally, it was a chance to work on my power tool skills and brush up on my math abilities to make sure everything lined up. 

Building the stand for My Grandmother’s Garden by Flora Weistche. I’m holding the support board while Jessica MacLean drills the board into place.  Photograph by Melanie Banks.

My Grandmother’s Garden, on completed stand in the entrance area of Aanischaaukamikw. Photograph by Chanelle Fabbri.

Over my 19 weeks of being an intern, I had a chance to work independently on a couple of projects, one of which was constructing mounts for the many snowshoes in the museum’s collection. Space in the secure storage area is at a premium, so it is paramount that all available space is used to its greatest potential. 

As of 2020, Aanischaaukamikw has over 30 pairs of unique, hand made snowshoes in the collection, many of which have come in with details about their makers and the specific details of how they were made, like the type of wood and sinews used. But for collections management, snowshoes are one of the worst culprits for occupying horizontal space on shelves but leaving plenty of vertical available above them. In order to fix this problem, I made mounts and spacers so two sets of snowshoes can be stacked on top of each other, without putting any pressure on the lower pair, therefore occupying space that was previously home to only one set of snowshoes. Aanischaaukamikw is well on their way to having the world’s largest Eeyou snowshoe collection, so more storage solutions will be needed in the coming years. 

I’m placing a mount on a pair of snowshoes. Photograph by Melanie Banks.

To see more snowshoes be sure to check out the online database:   cree.minisisinc.com

Not all of my work tasks were hands on with collections, some tasks were procedural. For example, I was given the opportunity to do much needed updates to the photography procedure document. I expanded this document to provide detailed instructions for any staff member or intern on how to photograph and organize the digital files for any object / belonging in the ACCI collections. This document will provide continuity to all future collections photography, to make sure there is consistency in file naming and where to locate the files. Part of this process included experimenting with how to take photographs that are very crisp and detailed, so that they can be used for multiple purposes in the future. 

My favorite part of my 19 weeks with ACCI was the ability to work with and learn from different people and departments of the cultural centre. Living in Ouje Bougoumou over the winter was  a bit of an adjustment from where I grew up, in southern Ontario, but it was a very  positive experience overall. I would encourage museums studies students to think of ACCI when looking for an internship opportunity, because it is a unique and special place to immerse yourself in Eeyou culture.   

By: Chanelle Fabbri, YCW Collections Intern 2019-2020

My internship in the Collections department at Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute, 2018

By: Camille Crevier-Lalonde

My work as an intern as part of my course in applied museology at Montmorency College often consist of solving problems to support and display objects that may have specific requirements or restrictions. Making a mount is always about the condition of the object, the center of gravity and the structural stability of the object.

During my internship I had the occasion of making storage mounts for a variety of objects, some of them representing more of a challenge than others. My favourite mount making experience was with child’s pants worn during a walking out ceremony.

 

On loan from Trifona Simard, SIMARD-2016-2

  

The first step was to construct padding for the leather pants. Measurements had to be taken for sewing small pads of synthetic fabric (Tyvek- high density polyethylene material padded with polyester fibers). The padding is useful for the object : the weight of the leather is distributed equally on the padding, causing less stress on the object and maintaining the fabric in a position that resemble the natural position of the object before it came on loan.

From the perspective of conservation, organic collections are the most fragile material types in a museum. Light, temperature/humidity variations and insects may deteriorate any leather object: that is why it is important to use stable materials and non-acid fibers (like Tyvek) that will keep the objects from deteriorating.

As an intern, I learned that the objects do not always need as much support as we would think. Additions of material may cause stress on a fragile object. Some leather ornaments, such as leather fringes, can be hard to present directly on a mount, because they are made of a malleable fabric. Sometimes, the object is a good mount in itself for these ornaments. In the picture below, we can see that the pants are supporting the fringes well.

The second step was to construct a tray for supporting the object in storage. The pants were installed on a rigid support, consisting of non-acidic Hollinger board, covered with a layer of microfoam and acid free cotton fabric. The fabric had been pinned to adjust equally the tension of the textile on the mount, then taped at the back of the board, with acid free tape. The pants were held in place on the board with cotton ribbons.

This Hollinger board provided an easy way of supporting the pants in storage; the pants can now be observed without any movement of the object itself, which is good for the prevention of any damage during storage.

A long way from home! - Young Samí Reindeer Herders visit Eeyou Istchee

 

“How on earth did you end up here in Ouje-Bougoumou, of all places?” I asked Niila Inga, one of the leaders of the 29 Samí youth delegation. The question had been on my mind all morning. Niila and I were sitting in the Elder’s Gathering Space, taking a bit of a rest during a very full afternoon visit at Aaanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute on October 7, 2015. Niila’s response - they were looking to connect with the people of Eeyou Istchee, in particular the youth – they had come looking for guidance and expertise because the Cree have been successful in negotiating a settlement for future generations.

This youth delegation, representing each Sápmi region in Sweden, travelled over 5,000 kilometres to come and meet the people of Eeyou Istchee, to share their culture and to learn from the people here. For over a year they researched the history of the Eastern James Bay Cree, contacted and coordinated with the governments of Waswanipi and Ouje-Bougoumou, and raised funds to cover the costs of their flight, transportation, food and lodging.

Niila and the rest of the youth delegation are not just ordinary young people from Sápmi, Sweden, they are reindeer herders. This youth delegation is but one of many young Samí trying to preserve and continue the Traditional ways of the Samí people, as young reindeer herders they are part of a long tradition in their territory.

We were honoured to have them visit us on Wednesday October 7, 2015, part of a two day visit in Ouje-Bougoumou. The delegation was greeted by Ron Simard, Ouje-Bougoumou Tourism Officer, in the Billy Diamond Hall.

The group enjoyed a guided tour of the Institute including our beautiful Exhibit Hall. Harold Bosum gave a Tamarack Decoy making demonstration that generated a lot of interest, questions and queries from the delegation. At the end of the demonstration Harold gifted the youth delegation with the decoy that he made during their visit.  



Lloyd Cheechoo presented gifts to the Samí youth on behalf of the Cree Native Arts and Crafts Association (CNACA).



Our young guests also had the opportunity to meet with one of the Cree Nation Government’s archaeologists, Dario Izaguirre, and learn about the role that archaelogy has played in Eeyou Istchee as evidence in Land Claims, and also try their hand at flint knapping. Dario is somewhat of an “artiste” in flint knapping fashioning of projectiles and arrow tips.

 The Samí (Lapp) people have inhabited the northern portions of Scandinavia, Finland and eastward over the Russian Kola Peninsula since ancient times. Archaeological finds suggest that the Samí people have lived in the Arctic region for thousands of years. Russia, Finland, Norway and Sweden claim territories ill what is now regarded as Sápmi (Lapland).

http://www.sim1.se/background/samer/samer_01.html

The Samí were originally nomads, living in tents during the summer and more sturdy peat huts during the colder seasons.The Samí based their livelihood mainly on hunting and fishing; they often bartered the products from such animals as reindeer, moose and beaver with a heavy reliance and connection between the humans and the animals on the land.   



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Nordic_Sami_people_Lavvu_1900-1920.jpg

The Samí today maintain their rich culture and long-established traditions, but are as much part of modern society as any other person in Sweden. They live in modern housing and only use tents as very temporary accommodations during reindeer migrations if they don’t already own cottages in the mountains and forests. http://samenland.nl/lap_sami_si.html



Add chttp://skandihome.com/skandiblog/uncategorized/sami-culture-customs/aption

http://travelingyourdream.com/?page_id=2237

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/166844361165332394/

Samí herders call their work boazovázzi, which translates as "reindeer walker," and that's exactly what herders once did, following the fast-paced animals on foot or wooden skis as they sought out the best grazing grounds over hundreds of miles of terrain. Times have changed. Herders are now assigned to specific parcels of the reindeer's traditional grazing territories at designated times of the year. To make the lifestyle workable, herders use all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles to maintain hundreds of miles of fences between territories and move large herds in accordance with land-use regulations. Today, only ten per cent of Swedish Samí earn a living from the reindeer industry, and many combine their family businesses with tourism, fishing, crafts and other trades. ttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/11/sami-reindeer-herders/benko-text 

On their final night in Ouje-Bougoumou the young Samí reindeer herders treated the community to an evening performance of traditional songs, presentations on cultural practices and traditional clothing, as well as a beautiful video of the land and the way of life of the Samí.

Gift presented to Elder Lawrence Shecapio on behalf of the Ouje-Bougoumou Cree Nation - Samí Evening Performance and Presentation- (Capissisit Lodge, Thursday October 8, 2015/ Photo credit: Kelly Pineault )

We were sad to say good-bye, but hope that this is the beginning of an ongoing dialogue and a lasting relationship between the people of Eeyou Istchee and the people of Sàpmi.

Until we meet again,

Kelly Pineault
Coordinator of Education